The fourth government witness to take the stand Friday in the corruption trial of former New Orleans Mayor Ray Nagin was Frank Fradella, former CEO of disaster management firm Home Solutions of America who was convicted of conspiring to bribe Nagin with trips, cash and truckloads of granite.

Fradella told jurors that he arranged for elaborate trips to Las Vegas and Chicago for Nagin, hoping it would help Fradella secure lucrative city work in exchange for helping his granite business score commercial contracts.

Fradella told jurors that he was after city contracts. But Fradella
also said he needed Nagin's support and endorsement in order to grow his
business through loans and credit lines from the bank. In exchange, Fradella testified that he agreed to help Nagin land contracts for his granite business, Stone Age LLC, a business Nagin's two sons were involved in.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Richard Pickens used email exchanges between Fradella and Aaron Bennett, founder of Benetech who pleaded guilty to bribing then-Plaquemines Parish sheriff, to try to show the bribery conspiracy.

"I wanted to establish a
relationship with City Hall and do some work, and I thought the best way to do
that was to try and entertain the dignitaries in the city," Fradella said. "At that point, we were pursuing a number of opportunities in the city of New Orleans."

What Fradella needed most, he told the jury, was a way to prove to banks that his firm was viable, and worth investing in. Nagin's influence, Fradella said, helped him secure a $40 million line of credit for Home Solutions of America.

In return, Fradella said, "I would help him in trying to get his company specific
granite work.

"Eventually he asked for money," Fradella said, admitting he paid the sum.

"Did he ask you for granite?" Pickens asked.

"Yes he did," Fradella replied.

Pickens asked Fradella to explain, in excruciating detail, what the bribes were, and how they were delivered to Nagin.

Fradella said Nagin asked him for $100,000 and the men agreed on a sum of $50,000. Fradella had been seeking Nagin's support on development projects, one of which involved converting the vacant Six Flags in eastern New Orleans to a NASCAR race track, but it had gained little traction.

Fradella told the jury he understood the $50,000 to be a bribe, and needed to disguise the payment because he was "too close" to Nagin. Fradella chose instead to funnel the $50,000 through Home Solutions of America board member Michael McGrath's child's trust.

Fradella arranged to repay McGrath by way of a stock deal. McGrath was going to buy $1 million in stock in Home Solutions of America, Fradella said, so the company simply issued the stock at a discounted $950,000. In an Securities and Exchange Commission filing shown to the jury, the discount is explained as a $50,000 consulting fee to Even Flow, McGrath's lending company.

Nagin also solicited Fradella for a granite shipment that Fradella explained made up for his "woefully inadequate" efforts to fulfill the request for $100,000. Fradella shipped a truckload of granite, from a Home Solutions of America subsidiary, to Stone Age LLC. The first shipment was badly damaged, and so Fradella sent another.

In return, Fradella was awarded city work, including contracts for sidewalk repairs in the French Quarter and major renovations for the airport and several government buildings, he said. For these contracts, Fradella's company received more than $4 million.

The prosecution is expected to continue questioning Fradella Monday. Nagin's attorney Robert Jenkins will then cross-examine him.

Fradella pleaded guilty to securities fraud conspiracy in 2012. He has not been sentenced.